Blizzard’s Chief Creative Officer decides to move on after a 17-year run and numerous successful titles.

Rob Pardo, Blizzard’s Chief Creative Officer, who shepherded the company though many of its most successful titles from Starcraft to World of Warcraft, announced Thursday that he would be leaving the company.

“I’m looking forward to new challenges in my career, but I will always cherish the time I spent with you all and the amazing and collaborative teams at Blizzard. It was both satisfying and humbling, and it made me a better developer and a better person,” Pardo wrote in a announcing post on Battle.net.

Pardo didn’t say where he would be going post-Blizzard, or even if he would be continuing in the industry. Pardo is well known for his criticisms of the current direction of the game industry, saying in 2012 that the inflated budgets of AAA titles kill creativity because of risk. Pardo says he needs time to think about where to next.

“As to what I will be doing next, I don’t have an answer for you yet . . . but I will ‘when it’s ready.’ My priorities are to enjoy the summer with my family, play plenty of games, and think about what’s next,” he wrote. “It’s like having an empty quest log and going into a new zone for the first time.”